


Forget the Numbers, its History

by FlorAtrocity



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Bilbo, BAMF!Bilbo, Bilbo is paranoid, Bilbo over thinks too much, Drama, Excuse me as I sell my soul, Family Death, Family Problems, I might as well add pairings as we go on, Idiots in Love, M/M, Murder, The age difference is seven years, Well- later he becomes badass, slow building romance, thought I'd let you all know that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-05 21:43:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/728218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlorAtrocity/pseuds/FlorAtrocity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo just wanted a fresh start. He wanted to get pass his own thoughts and paranoia to lead a semi-normal life, without coming off as anything but normal. </p><p>Too bad, since this town is out to get him- from helping catch a murderer, to help put together a family, falling in love, and not dying in the process.</p><p>He had a feeling it was going to be a busy year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Different Kind of Wolves lurk in the Hallways.

**Author's Note:**

> Its not beta'd. 
> 
> I apologize for any mistakes, grammar and spelling wise. I write the way I talk, so there might be awkwardly worded sentences. I'm pretty good at catching spelling mistakes (majority of the time.)
> 
> Enjoy!

There was something nostalgic about the first day of school. Some would say that they loved the first day of a new school year, since it gave chances to make friends and switch into classes that interested them. It was a fresh start.

Bilbo, on the other hand, utterly loathed the very thought of the first day of school. He knew he was different from the other students; his short height, awkward yet still polite demeanor, and lets not forget, he was a target for bullying among his peers.

Bilbo shook those unpleasant memories. Sitting in his car, his eyes glancing between the front doors of the school and the clock on his dash. Half an hour until school officially started. He'd have to leave in ten minutes to avoid the students and prepare for his morning class.

He had to think optimistically. Yes, it was the first day of school. However, things were different this time around.

He wasn't a student anymore. He was a teacher. He wasn't in high school out of obligation. He was there to teach and help youth stay on track for the future. He-

He felt like throwing up.

Time was against him, as ten minutes passed faster than he had wanted. He briefly thought about just leaving and just telling the principle that he got lost and that he remembered that his mother had wanted him to call her and to come back to Shiretown and-

Cutting his own train of thought off, he admitted that lying just wasn't the answer and that he shouldn't lie about his mother.

Though it wouldn't have been a lie if he said father instead.

Bilbo sighed loudly in his car before stepping out, making sure he had his planner before locking the car up.

He walked briskly to the front door, grateful there were few students even at school yet. He went to the front office, to grab his room key of the school along with his i.d tag. Thanking the receptionist for his help, Thranduil Greenleaf, if he recalled correctly, made his way to his assigned door.

Thankfully it wasn't too far from the front door, he made a mental note to find out how busy the hallways were during lunch.

Still looking for his room, he caught on a pair of eyes that made their way to him. Standing by the lockers were some students; there were five that were joking around with one another, there was one set of eyes that stared him down.

It was unnerving. Bilbo was glad he was walking instead of standing, he would shift in obvious discomfort. He didn't keep eye contact long.

He had a burning feeling in his gut that the younger man hadn't looked away yet though.

It wasn't until he turned a corner he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Thoughts of intense eyes eased away from his mind as he found his room and quickly unlocking the door.

He was happy to discover that as a teacher, he received a rather nice desk chair. Bilbo sat down in it, and regretted it as he knew he'd just have to stand up again as the day rolled on.

He began piling this upon his new desk, pulling out his navy blue laptop and connecting it to the schools wi-fi. Taking out his planner, looking over the self notes and instructions to follow. He printed out papers to hand out, setting them next to his laptop.

His desk was by no means full like his own teachers desks back when he was in school. He can only figure that with time, his desk will grow into a more messier place.

He stood up to write on the dry erase board behind him.

'Mister Baggins' in thin dark ink, surely readable for those in the back.

Only after taking a deep breath, he hears the bell ring.

He sits down to prevent his legs from shaking.

Sitting at his desk, he watches one by one as students swarm into his room.

As the last bell rang, Bilbo head counts all the heads in the class.

Fifteen students all together, not surprising since this area had a low birth-rate. Biblo felt a bit more at ease.

He gathered up what inner charisma he had learnt through speech classes, and introduced himself.

"Good morning. My name is Bilbo Baggins, I am your teacher for this year." Grabbing the printed papers off his desk, he started passing them out. "Here are a list of requirements, along with what we will be learning in each quarter."

He began to call roll, learning names and attaching them to faces.

* * *

He did the same routine in his next two classes. He checked the halls during lunch and found, that from his door to the entrance of the school, the halls were clear and he'd be able to leave school grounds occasionally for lunch. For now though, he'd eat his turkey sandwich with tomato and avocado along with a small salad and some earl grey mixed with orange tea.

So far, the day was stress free and his students seemed pleasant enough (at least at first glance.) He looked up to the clock, lunch would end in a few minutes and then he'd have a prep period. After that, just homeroom for half an hour. Then school is out for the day.

There wasn't much to do for prep besides planning for the next few days. Bilbo finished within ten minutes and decided to leave his room for a bit and go to the staff lounge. Maybe grab a candy bar from the vending machine.

Finding the room wasn't difficult with all the students within their own respective classes. He opened the door, saw the vending machine, pulled out a crinkled single dollar, and bought a chocolate bar.

"Skipping out on class the first day, Mister Baggins?" A voice came from behind him, feeling too close for comfort. He felt even more discomfort that the other had known his name without even introducing himself to the man.

While Bilbo didn't jump six feet into the air, he surely felt his heart leap out from its place and out his chest. An entirely unpleasant experience.

He turned around to see a man slightly older than himself. Pale skin with jet black hair, looking casual enough with his dark slacks, white dress shirt, and blood red tie. The smile was sly, clean white teeth that would make a dentist swoon. No doubt he was one of those teachers that teenage girls gossiped about and thought about having some 'forbidden romance' that would end with both of them in love and happily married.

But Bilbo could see so much more. His smile, while charming as it was, screamed predator. His dark brown eyes looked soulless, void of any emotion despite the tone in his voice.

"I'm just grabbing a snack." Bilbo congratulated himself for not stuttering. "Prep period is boring the first day, don't you think?"

"I would have to agree with you on that," the new comer chuckled. After moments of nothing being said, Bilbo took this as a sign to make a run for it. Just as he was about to open the door, he was stopped in his tracks from the man behind him.

"Mister Baggins."

Bilbo turned around to look at the man. A wicked smile was casted his way.

"I hope to see you around."

Bilbo nodded slowly before exiting completely. He walked quickly back to his own room and thought the next time he wanted something sweet, he'd bring it from home.

* * *

Bilbo was relieved that there was only half an hour left until the last bell rang. The first day always seemed the longest.

He knew some of the faces that were coming into his room. All the students were in his earlier classes. He recognized Ori, Dwalin, Fíli and Kíli from his first class, Military History. Bofur, Bifur, Nori, and Bombur are in his second class, Ancient & Cultural History. The last few remaining faces he recognized were Oin, Balin, Dori, and Gloin, who he had last in his Political & Economical History.

Bilbo frowned to himself. There was only twelve. He should have thirteen. He glanced down to his roster to scan for a name he didn't recognized. In printed ink, there was the name: Thorin Oakenshield. Was he already skipping classes? Did he just not come to school today? Perhaps he was lost in the hallways? Maybe-

His train of questioning thoughts took a halt when he saw a familiar face.

It was only a millisecond before Bilbo opened his mouth.

"Thorin Oakenshield?" Bilbo really didn't have the slightest clue by his heart felt like pumping more blood than usual.

There was no reply from the other. Just a nod from the dark haired man, taking an empty seat next to Dwalin.

He had thought about talking about homeroom, but seeing as that most of the students were sophomores, juniors, and seniors; he really didn't need to explain what homeroom meant. It was more or less a study break so students would get the chance to either socialize or catch up on their assignments before they went home and became less inclined to work.

That, and Bilbo didn't really feel like introducing himself anymore. He just had to hope that Thorin would be able to read the board and know his name by that.

The students began to talk among themselves. Well most of them, he thinks Bifur used facial expressions to talk. When he did talk, it was hard to understand; he could hear English, but a heavy accent coated the words so severally that it was difficult to understand.

He watched them for a couple minutes, no one noticing how he observed them. He saw this was some kind of 'clique,' one that he was fine to be excluded from.

When he stopped looking over them, and began to focus on his own work. While he was writing his own notes and writing a reminder to pick up milk on the way home; he didn't see that along with the whispers that the students shared with one another, eyes from each one of the younger men had glanced at him with a mixture of curiosity, amusement and disbelief.

* * *

When Bilbo got home, he about wept tears of joy when he fell on to the couch. It had been such a long day.

He was glad it wasn't a disaster though. He had over thought so many scenarios that didn't end with him coming back home. But he was home. He didn't have to worry about a paranoid itch that took control over his own actions. He was relaxing now, he gave himself a pat on the back for not having a nervous break down in any of his classes.

In fact, it today was like any other day, Bilbo thinks he could get through this school year with ease.

Those thoughts could be put aside for later though, perhaps after Bilbo eats his fill and reading the next chapter of his book that laid on his bedside.

When he finished putting a last minute dinner of potato soup, he set the burner on low and set the timer for some minutes until everything as properly cooked.

It wasn't a moment later when his doorbell rang.

Bilbo frowned to himself. It was seven in the evening, a little late for a visitor, wasn't it?

Opening the door, Bilbo had to tilt his head up to take a look at the other.

A man older than him, who had a good foot or two on him. His old age was given away from the wrinkles that stood at the end of his eyes and his grey hair.

The man had a beard that went down past his waist.

'That must take some time to wash...' Bilbo thought. Looking at the mans eyes though, they looked kind and very familiar.

It was like lighting stuck when Bilbo recognized who this man was.

"Gradalf! How are you this evening? Would you like to come inside?" The smile he sent to the older man was returned.

"Glad to see you recognized me, Mister Bilbo Baggins." Bilbo made way so that Gandalf could make his way into the house. "I'm glad to see you've taken the teaching position at the high school."

"Well I wouldn't have it without you, could I now?" He wasn't even really sure how a retires police officer even got him the job. Bilbo lead them to the living room. Bilbo siting in his arm chair as Gandalf sat across on the matching love seat. "I really am grateful for this opportunity to teach."

"Even from this far away from home?"

Bilbo didn't hesitate to answer.

"Yes." He was actually glad to be so far away from home, even though it also scared the hell out of him.

"Well that's good!" When Gandalf gave Bilbo a smile, he has a feeling their was more to his questions. "Tell me, have you heard anything.. Odd rumors around school?"

"Rumors?" Bilbo heard himself snort, "I really don't think it's very proper of myself to get involved in the students personal lives, unless its effecting their grades or physical health."

"Ah, I see..." Bilbo ignored the sound of disappointment in the mans voice. "I had hoped there was something interesting to hear around in that school."

"...What sort of interesting?" He had a feeling he wasn't going to like his answer.

He was correct.

"There have been anonymous letters, that are being sent to the station-"

"I thought you were retired?"

"I am, but I still dabble in more... Unique cases." Gandalf gave him a pointed look. "As I was saying, anonymous letters, jumbled up words that don't make sense, are being sent to the station."

"It could be pranks, you know how kids are these days."

"That's what we thought," a frown appeared on Gandalf's face, "But then a body was found."

"A-A body?!" If Bilbo had been drinking anything, he surely would have spit it all over himself. "You're not serious. There hasn't been anything on the news about such things!"

"We haven't released anything to the public just yet, but most of the community knows about the victim."

"That doesn't make much sens-" then it clicked together in Bilbos mind. "The body was a student at the high school, weren't they?"

Gandalf gave a short nod.

Bilbo swallowed hard.

"When?" He was afraid to know.

"Two years ago. We didn't realize the letters were a pattern, after six letters, a body would turn up."

"You don't mean to sa-"

"There has been two victims in the past two years. The only thing they have in common is that they go to the local high school here."

"...How did you convince the board to hire me, Gandalf?" Surely Gandalf wasn't suggesting what he thinks he's suggesting.

"I could really use your help, Mister Baggins." Gandalf let a sigh out. "This case, it's unknown whether the killers a student or a teacher. But it's going to happen again, this year."

Bilbo couldn't think of anything to say.

"...I think it's about time I go." Gandalf stood up, Bilbo copied him and followed him to the door. They said their goodbyes, Gandalf was almost to the end of the side walk when Bilbo called out to him.

"I-I'll let you know if I hear anything unusual."

Gandalf gave him a smile.

"I really do appreciate that, Mister Baggins." He turned back around, "You have a good night now."

"You too.." Bilbo was sure his reply was lost to the wind.

He shut the door, locking the locks before he turned around.

He was deep in thought when he heard the timer go off in the kitchen. He had been so startled, he thought he would faint.

"Oh good god..."

Perhaps moving to Erebor wasn't such a wise idea.


	2. Even When Your Right, There's Someone Who's Going To Think Your Wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still unbeta'd.
> 
> But I think it's getting better :3 (somewhat.) I just can't quit the way I talk when I write~ Any mistakes will be cured when it's morning and when I'm not getting ready for an unwilling social event.
> 
> Enjoy~!

The first thought that went through Bilbo's mind was that he needed to learn the radio stations in Erebor. 

He could not, would not let 1980's love songs wake him up again in the future. The lyrics were just to cliché, like swallowing a cup full of artificial sweetener. 

He is glad when he hits the snoozer button, reluctant when it came to pulling off the covers, and is miserable to put his feet on the freezing floor. 

Bilbo reaches for his bedside drawer, pulling out yellow sticky notes along with a black ballpoint pen.

'Set the heater to turn on in the morning.' He sticks the note above his bed, leaving the room to go take a morning shower.

He knows he's washed his hair and his body, but he can barely recalls any of it. As the hot water warms up, so does Bilbo's mind. He recalls Gandalf's words from the night before. They echo around his skull. 

He doesn't remember turning off the water and drying himself off. Nor walking back into his room and choosing his clothes for the day. 

When he was through with recalling events, Bilbo looks into the mirror above his dresser. He's all dressed, besides for socks an shoes, and his hair continues being the curly mess it's been since his childhood.

He can only sigh when he decides it time to put on some shoes.

-LineBreak- 

When Bilbo thinks of yesterday, the first day of school, he's a tad grateful. It was a draft for what the second day of school would be like.

He had been told before he took this job that the high school has an 'odd' and 'even' day. Whereas on Wednesdays, he had all classes. Instead of the usual hour and seventy-five minutes, he teaches an hour for each class. There is no homeroom period though. 

Those thoughts are for tomorrow though. Today is still Tuesday after all.

He repeated the routine he did yesterday, nothing changed besides the faces and names. Bilbo appreciated that the students today were a lot less rambunctious than his classes yesterday. 

It wasn't until lunch that the day seemed to slow down. 

He had forgotten his lunch at home. That sandwich was going to be terribly soggy when he got home. 

Bilbo really didn't want to run over to a fast food restaurant, a greasy hamburger with over salted fries and watered down cola? He'd pass. Bilbo really wished he had realized earlier, than he could have pre-ordered something.

He thought about not eating lunch at all. It wasn't a second later his stomach gave a noise of disagreement.

Bilbo decided it was time to explore the school a bit more. He left his room and let his feet guide him wherever they pleased. 

He did avoid the staff lounge though.

He was pleasantly surprised to find the cafeteria. 

While he was tempted to stand in line with forty students, Bilbo decided to grab a meal from the cafeteria vending machines. There wasn't much of a choice, but he went with it. Pulling a dollar from his front pocket and paying for a small meal, he grabbed a baggy that contained a carton of milk, an orange, and a bag of gram crackers. 

Satisfied with his snack, Bilbo started his trek back to his room. 

He was about to open his door when some students caught his eye. 

Or at least he thinks they're students.

They look a little older than the rest of the students he's seen. They looked like brothers, sharing blistering skin and shaved heads. 

They certainly weren't the most attractive bunch.

Bilbo scolded himself for thinking such things. Looks don't matter, no matter how old the boys may look. They still wore backpacks and they could be dedicated students who work hard and are looking to help better the futu-

A loud sneeze was heard.

"Oi Tom, I got snot all over my hands. I don't suppose you gots a napkin?"

"Nope. Jus' wipe it off somewhere."

"Hmmkay."

Bilbo watched in horror as the one with snot on his hands wiped his germ invested palms and digits over the lockers that they stood next to. 

It wasn't even the worst part.

He continued to watch as the snot smearer reached into a bag and took out some chips, with those fingers, into his mouth.

That was the worst part.

Bilbo just throw up a little. He couldn't open his door fast enough. 

He also didn't close his door fast enough to not hear part of what the boys were talking about.

"-reed then. Two weeks from tomorrow, we put our plan into action."

Bilbo has never been so happy to hear a door click shut.

He looked at the bag of food in his hands. He set them down on his desk, he made his way over to the small sink on the opposite side of the room, and fiercely washed his hands until he felt his hands being burned of any germs that were there at any point of the day.

* * *

Bilbo was glad that, while he could tell his homeroom students were mischievous from the look in their eyes and the gear of humor in their words, they were still in the stage when in the beginning of the year they talked among themselves and didn't bring him into any of their 'teenage drama.' He's already been through all that himself, and he isn't missing any of it.

So while his class spoke quietly, Bilbo was absorbed into his own thoughts. Tapping his pen against the desk slowly as his mind went through analyzing the situation.

While he wasn't quite over the snot-locker-chip scene, he did get to thinking. 

Could those boys be involved with what Gandalf was talking about? Could they be responsible for the murder of two students? Could they actually be cannibals who picked up people just to take them to some deserted place and go on to roast, or boil them?! What if they skinned them? What if-

Bilbo went back to reality to realize that there was no more whispering and that all eyes were on him. 

And that his pen had flown out of his hand  to across the room. 

"Whoops," Bilbo chuckled awkwardly. "S-Sorry about that." He stood up to go retrieve his pen, when Bofur stood up a second after him.

"Ah you stay right there, Mister Baggins. I'll get your pen for ya." True to his word, Bofur swiped up his pen and returned it to him. 

"Thank you Bofur. I appreciate that." Bilbo gave him a small smile.

"Tis' nothing. After all, you are the only teacher that allows me to wear my hat in class." Bilbo ignored the wink that Bofur sent him. 

"Oh well that's no problem. Just a hat on your head isn't it?" Actually, he just didn't even know that the students weren't suppose to wear hats. 

"That it is, that it is." Bofur smiled at him  and went back to his desk. 

After a moment of silence, the class regained it's noise and Bilbo quietly watched them. 

During class, he knows how loud, and rude, these kids could be. But he also knows how smart they could be as well. All of them had a sharp quality to them, individual to each. 

When his mind wanders off back to Gandalf once more, Bilbo really hopes that none of these kids were involved. They're too young to be involve with murders and anonymous letters. While they might know more about these murders and what rumors that Gandalf spoke of, Bilbo couldn't stop hoping that these young men would be alright.

He doesn't know them, or their history. He can't understand how it feels that he could die within the next school year.

He knew about loss though. How it could carve your inside out and make you suffer from the very thought of it all, with reminders finding their way into normal life again- never willing to stay in the past.

He felt that maybe, just a possible chance, he could prevent anymore loss for these boys. 

At least he hoped he could.

-LineBreak-

Bilbo knew that a lot of things in life were unpredictable.

How a person would die. To buy a salad at an airport and it turned out to taste horrible. Even the smallest and common accidents were unpredictable. 

There are ways to get by though. Live a healthier lifestyle, pack granola bars for long trips, or making sure to have an insurance card and a package of band-aids. 

Though the weather; she was the real harsh mistress. Despite the technology of modern times, her control over biosphere of earth can be as unpredictable when there were no machines to foresee future climate events.

Bilbo couldn't care less though. 

Personally, he loved the rain. The smell of fresh earth, the feel of the damp ground when he walked barefoot in his garden, and the sight of raindrops clinging onto his violet and tulips. He loved all these qualities that the rain blessed with him with.

Though he couldn't say he liked rain at this very moment. 

Sitting in his car that was still trying to warm up on the inside, he paid attention to the road with the windshield wipers going back and forth at a quick pace. The rain was getting heavier by the moment. 

Bilbo was waiting at a stop light, when he looked out of the corner of his eye to see familiar faces. 

Fíli, Kíli, and Thorin were standing in the rain, waiting for the crosswalk to change. While Thorin wasn't expressive, Bilbo could see that his clothes were soaked along with Kíli's and Fíli's clothes. The usual smiling boys held bland faces. It looked pitiful. 

Bilbo felt conflicted with himself. It was raining horribly, with his students just standing there in the freezing rain.

It would be unprofessional to ask them if they would like a ride home. They were his students, and if they didn't like him, it's possible they could tell the school board that he was harassing them and taking them home. He could get in a lot of trouble.

However, Bilbo knew he could never forgive himself if he didn't ask. If he didn't take a chance to take them out of the rain and put them somewhere warm before, heaven forbid, they caught hypothermia.

He pulled over to the curve, cursed himself for not fixing roller for the passenger window, and got out of his car to walk over to the boys. 

"Excuse me, boys?" Bilbo couldn't recall another moment in his life when he felt this awkward.

"Mister Boggins? What are you doing out here in the rain?" Kíli asked him. Thorin and Fíli next to him, looking at Bilbo with suspicion. Fíli was a bit more subtle about it though.

"I could very well asking you the same thing. What are you gentlemen doing out in rain like this?" Kíli and Fíli gave a snort of laughter. 

"The bus left before we could catch it. So we're just walking home."Bilbos frown must have been pretty obvious when Kíli added on quickly, "It's really close though! Not too far from here!"

"I see.." Bilbo inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Would you like a ride home then? The rain is really coming down." 

Bilbo felt his palms sweat, despite the freezing feeling they've attained due to the temperature. He wanted to help. He really did. His nerves were driving him crazy though. They probably thought he was a creepy teacher who was out to sexually assault students, or worse, a creepy homosexual teacher who was out to be a sexual predator on young boys. He might as well dig his own grave.

"That won't be necessary." That wasn't Fíli who spoke. Or Kíli.

Bilbo looked over to Thorin. His expression was unreadable. That didn't fool him though. Bilbo could see the slight shake to Thorin's fist, he wasn't sure if it was because of the cold, or if Thorin was struggling to retraining from hitting him.

"Are you sure? It would be no trouble at all." He could get fired on his second day of work.

"We'll manage on our own." Thorin turned his back to him, with Kíli and Fíli in tow. The crosswalk sign hadn't turned yet, but Thorin looked ready to jaywalk and get far away from him as possible.

And while his offer has been rejected, Bilbo felt that he should still do something.

"Wait a minute!" He called to the boys, they turned back to him with slightly surprised expressions. They hadn't expected him to stop them twice. "Just wait right here for a moment." 

Bilbo walked over to his car, opening the passenger door, and grabbed his umbrella  and his spare umbrella. He walked back over to them. 

He opened one and gave it over to Fíli, then opened the other and have it to Thorin. 

"There. At least you won't have to walk in the rain the rest of the way." 

"I said we'd manage on our own." Thorins attitude was starting to give Bilbo a headache.

"I heard you, and you will. Return them tomorrow and all of this will be forgotten." Bilbo was at least glad that Kíli and Fíli seemed grateful to be out of the rain. 

"It's unnecessary." 

"Thorin. Just return it tomorrow, that's all I'm saying." Bilbo really wished Thorin would just accept the umbrellas. He could feel the cold, wetness making its way into the inside of his trousers. 

"...Fine." Thorin turned around once more, and thankfully the crosswalk had turned. Bilbo stood in the rain a little longer to make sure the boys were holding the umbrellas over their heads and not just running into traffic.

After another second, Bilbo walked back into his own car. He turned on the heater and was glad to feel hot air run over his finger tips and face. 

Bilbo started his way back home. His actions earlier already drifting from his mind.

He didn't realize that he's taken a step into being involved with something more than just student-teacher courteousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up an extra 3 hours correcting this enough to the point I didn't want to smash my phone against the wall.
> 
> In case theres any confusion about Bilbos "creepy homosexual teacher" part, Bilbo knows he's gay. I thought it would be fitting to include it since Erebor is a tightnit community, likely to go with traditional ways of man and wife, and Bilbo isn't exactly willing to risk his job because his sexuality. He's not ashamed of who he is. It's no bodies business but his own.
> 
> Well it's late now.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my hard labor of love. I'll try to update soon! Thank you to the people who keep on encouraging me to write and not give up on this fanfic dream!


	3. Ripped Opened Gloves and Unprofessional Talk

Bilbo actually dreaded the thought of receiving his umbrellas back.

Not from Fíli or Kíli. Oh never them. The boys were too callow to have the chance to intimidate him. He was, however, contradicted when he found their childlike behavior both annoying and enduring. Even Ori, the youngest of the three, seemed more mature than them.

The reason Bilbo felt dread was logical. Fearing Thorin was logical, he could get Bilbo fired. He was unreadable; Bilbo hasn't even heard him talk enough to gain an idea of how Thorin was. He might have been younger than Bilbo, but he was taller and broader, his glare was as frightening on its own. A glare that Bilbo has suspected that has been staring him down the past few days, rising thoughts and the possible fact, that Thorin must really dislike him. He doesn't know why. There could be many reasons that Bilbo just can't seem to notice what made Thorin so suspicious and distrusting of him.

So when Wednesday rolled around, Bilbo was glad he didn't see Thorin that day. He did see Fíli and Kíli that day, they poked fun at him for having such a 'girly and dainty' umbrella. Which he responded that it wasn't 'girly or dainty' but was functional and that they should be glad that he offered his functional and homely umbrella before they caught their deaths.

Their banter when on for some time until the warning bell rang and the two boys left him with nothing but the dust on their heels.

Bilbo knew that he would have to see Thorin on Thurday though. Homeroom was a required class to attend after all. Bilbo was sure that he was sweating throughout the day, and he just prayed that he didn't have sweat marks on his dress shirts. He barely even touched his lunch, a waste really, he kept wiping his palm on his slacks, and hoped that Thorin was one of those teenagers who skipped classes every few days.

Bilbo wasn't that lucky though.

Sure enough, Thorin came inside his classroom. Bilbo wouldn't be surprised if Thorin didn't throw his own umbrella at him. He was sure that Thorin would likely glare him down in class though.

Except he didn't.

While Bilbo felt grateful that he didn't have his umbrella chucked at him, or was glared down during class, he was a bit put off. When he called roll, Thorin didn't even acknowledge him. Balin answered for him.

Sitting at his desk, Bilbo didn't really mind that Thorin wasn't paying attention to him. He was thankful for it. As for his umbrella, perhaps Thorin just forgot this morning and would simply just bring it tomorrow.

When Friday morning came, Bilbo felt at ease. He was getting used to his new routine, and it was the last day of school for the week. He taught his classes, ate with ease during lunch, planned next week’s schedule, and didn’t worry about seeing Thorin. It was quite silly of him to have had his anxiety levels strike up so high the day before.

Although when it was time for homeroom, he could feel the left over feeling of anxiety from the day before reheating just for this moment alone.

He didn’t call roll, he just simply marked whether anyone was absent or not. Like the rest of the week, no one was missing. Bilbo didn’t see any umbrella on Thorins person, and he doubted that his umbrella was in the messenger bag that Thorin was carrying around today.

While staring was rude, in Bilbos opinion, he stared down Thorin the entire class period. He didn’t care whether it was obvious or not. In fact, it should be obvious! He was pretty sure that Thorin was ignoring him. Everyone else can see that he was staring at Thorin oddly, except for Thorin himself.

‘Maybe I’m just over reacting…’ Bilbo thought, it was possible that Thorin didn’t want to carry around an umbrella all day and had decided to shove it into his locker and then return it to Bilbo after school.

When the bell rang, and Bilbo waited in his room for a reasonable 15 minutes, he decided that his earlier thought was invalid.

He sighed loudly in the now empty room. Bilbo didn’t have an idea was he was getting so worked up over an umbrella. He could always buy a new one at the thrift store for a few dollars.

Bilbo drove home, soft-rock songs playing on the stereo that he wasn’t even paying attention to. He unlocked his door, locked it once he was inside, and decided that instead of dinner, he’d just have a snack and try to finish his book for the night.

He didn’t even read ten pages of chapter seven before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Bilbo woke up to the sun shining in on his face, finding it much more pleasant than the alarm clock blaring in his ears.

He was tempted to just lay in bed for the rest of the morning, perhaps try to drift back into the dream world once more.

That just didn’t sound right to him though. He knew that if his body could voice its own opinions, it would be telling him to take it easy and sleep the morning away. Bilbo hoisted himself up, reminding himself that with a day with the sun shining and the birds chirping away, he better not waste it and take himself outside to enjoy natures ambience.

He stripped off his clothes from yesterday and chose some work clothes. He did his morning chores; tossing his laundry into the washing machine, watering the plants around his house, dusting, sweeping, making sure there weren’t any dirty dishes in the sink, and vacuuming the corners of the rooms for cobwebs. Satisfied with his work, he made his way to the backyard.

Bilbo inhaled and exhaled deeply. The morning air had such a clean feeling to it. He looked over his yard, green and neat looking. The yard looked like it wouldn’t have to be mowed for at least another week. His garden, however, looked like it needed help. He could see weeds already starting to entangle themselves with the stems of his carrots and onions.

He walked over to his small storage container on the side of his house, he grabbed his gardening gloves, an empty bucket, and his hori hori knife. Bilbo cut the weeds, pulled the weeds, and threw them in the bucket. The process continued for a half hour, until his hand jerked, causing his knife to slip, and cut through his glove.

Bilbo hissed in pain, he definitely skinned himself a bit. Using his good hand, he placed the knife in the bucket and placed the bucket outside his storage container before going inside to inspect the damage.

At the kitchen sink, he pulled his gloves off carefully. Bilbo was relieved to see that it wasn’t that deep of a cut, he cleaned the cut before wrapping a bandage around it. He was disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to continue his weeding. Hopefully the cut will be completely healed by next weekend.

He glanced towards the window. It was a waste to just stay inside the whole day, it wasn’t even noon yet!

He had just ruined one of his gardening gloves; he could go out and buy another pair to kill time, maybe stop by a local book store and pick up another book for later.

Bilbo wiped off the dirt on his feet before slipping on some flip-flops. He was glad that he wasn’t too far off away from the town. It would only take him twenty to thirty minutes to make it to a strip of stores. He checked his pocket to make sure he had his house keys and wallet, locking the door behind him and started his short march.

He was grateful that when he observed his surroundings, he paid less attention to his pained hand. Walking pass trees, Bilbo could spot some bird nests. When he looked onto his neighbors lawns, he could see cats and dogs alike sunbathing. The sky was clear except for a few thinning clouds that gave enough shade at the right time when Bilbo felt overheated.

It truly was lovely outside.

Bilbo felt absolutely content. He was blithe about the world. Even if it was only for a few hours until the sun went down once more.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see the upcoming stores though. Flip-flops always did have a way of making his feet sore. He’d be much better off if he walked barefoot all the time.

He eyed the lineup of stores, thinking about which ones to go first. He looked up and down at the biggest store, Dales Warehouse. Looking from the outside to the inside, it supplied groceries and home appliances. Bilbo had a good feeling he would find a new set of gloves here.

Automatic doors swished open when he stepped into view of the sensor. Cold air flooded his senses for a few seconds; he welcomed the crisp feeling of the store that put a halt to the bead of sweat trying to make its way down his forehead.

Bilbo looked up, checking out what each aisle held. Once out of the food section, he was glad to see ‘outdoor activities’ on one of the aisles lists. He quickly went down, compared his own hand size to the sizes of gloves that were optional, and chose the one with the fair quality and reasonable price. He snagged a few packages of pens on his way to the checkout counter. The cashier and he chatted for a few moments while he scanned Bilbo’s purchases. His name tag read ‘Bard Bowman.’ Bilbo thought he seemed like a nice enough fellow.

“Do you need any help?” Bard asked him.

“No need for that, thank you. You have a good day now.” Bilbo responded, taking hold of the thin plastic handles of his bags.

“You too.” Bilbo nodded, and made his way outside.

Well, he tried to make his way outside.

As soon as he was out the door, he ran into something, or rather, someone.  
Bilbo was already spilling out apologies, when the stranger chuckled.

Well, this was a face that he was uncomfortable with.

“Why hello there, Mister Baggins,” Blinding white teeth grinned over him. “It’s good to see you again; I haven’t seen you in the teachers’ lounge at all since Monday.”

“Ah, well you know- busy first week and all.” Bilbo could feel himself shifting in discomfort. When the other man said nothing, he took it as a sign to leave.

The man seemed to be interested in keeping him there though.

His fellow teaching colleague took hold of his elbow.

“It seems I’ve forgotten something.” He pulled Bilbo closer.

“O-Oh, and what would t-that be?” Bilbo really just wanted to get away from this man.

“Well, an introduction of course.” The man gave them a bit of distance, but his hold remained strong. “I’m Fritjof Smaug, most tend to just call me Smaug. I teach in the mathematics department.”

“Well, its’ been lovely chatting with you Mister Smaug, but I really must be going.”

‘I never did like math anyway,’ Bilbo thought to himself. He really should be going; he should just skip out on hunting for a book store and just go home.

“Do you need a ride home by chance?” Bilbo felt like he was experiencing Déjà vu.

“I’m fine on my own thanks.”

“Well, perhaps we can get together some other time. Maybe have a longer chat, maybe in the teachers’ lounge?” Bilbo was trying to pull himself away from the man, with little success.

“I really don’t think that’s app-” Bilbo didn’t get a chance to finish, and he felt a bit thankful for the interruption.

“Mister Boggins! How are you on this day?” Both Bilbo and Smaug turned their heads to see Fíli, Kíli, and Thorin. Fíli gave Kíli a shove with his elbow. “Hello to you too, Mister Smaug.”

“Hello boys. What can I help you with?” Bilbo thanked all the deities in the world that Smaug had finally let go of his arm.

“Actually Smaug,” Bilbo was sure there was disgust in Thorins’ tone, “we would like to talk to Mister Baggins.”

“Well, talk then, Mister Oakenshield.” Smaug replied, his tone held a taunting sound.

“We need to talk to him alone.” Thorin shot back.

“Oh really now? Surely it’s not that important.”

“We need to ask about the requirements for the semester,” Fíli jumped into the conversation. “Would you mind answering our questions, Mister Baggins?”

Bilbo made sure to make his own way into the conversation before Smaug spoke.

“Of course, Fíli.” Bilbo gave Smaug a hopefully apologetic face. “If you would excuse us, Mister Smaug.”

“If you insist,” the smile seemed to tighten, making his face look more fearsome than Bilbo originally thought the man to be. “I hope to see you again soon, Mister Baggins.”

Bilbo gave a mumble of a goodbye, and was overly appreciative that the boys cut in. With Smaug out of view, Bilbo felt a weight lifted from him and let his muscles relax. He hadn’t realized he was so tense.

“So you ha-” Barely even three words out, and Bilbo was being pulled once more.

“You seem like the type to like books, Mister Boggins. Do you like books?” Kíli asked, pulling Bilbo along with him.

“He definitely seems like the type to like books.” Fíli commented from the other side of him, pulling him in unison with his brother.

“I do like to read..” Bilbo muttered, though he was sure that neither of the boys had heard him. He wasn’t pulled very far; they soon came up to a store that had italicized words on the window that read ‘Erebor’s Scrolls and Snacks.’ Soon enough, Bilbo found himself sitting at a table, his eyes scanning the categories above the bookshelves. It wasn’t the largest book store he had ever been in, but it was organized and there was a decent sized selection of books to read.

“We’re gonna go order some things, do you want anything? Mister Boggins?” Kíli asked, taking Bilbo out of his trance.

“No thank you, don’t you have questi-” Bilbo muttered the rest, “and they ran off before I could finish.” Breathing in, Bilbo turned himself to see that he was sitting across Thorin Oakenshield. Bilbo felt his mouth open before he could really think of anything to say.

“You boys don’t really need any of my help, do you?” At least he hadn’t said something stupid.

“We’re clear on what’s required.” Thorin answered quickly.

“Ah. I see.” Bilbo bit his tongue momentary. He was tempted to ask about his umbrella, but he really didn’t feel like having a student-teacher confrontation at the moment. He was relieved to see Fíli and Kíli on their way back. ‘With Ori in tow..?’

“Good evening Mister Baggins! How are you today?” Ori gave him a friendly smile, which he returned. Bilbo took the time to notice the boy was wearing an apron.

“I’m fine thank you. Do you work here, Ori?” Ori nodded quickly.

“Yup! Only for the past few months though,” Ori smiled widely. “Would you like anything Mister Baggins?”

“I’ll be fine, thank you Ori.” Ori looked like he was about to reply when a voice was heard from the other part of the room.

“Ori! We need your help in the back real quick!”

“Sorry, I gotta go.” Ori gave him an apologetic look before running off. “On my way!”

With Ori gone, Fíli and Kíli dragged some chairs over and sat between Bilbo and Thorin.

“So Mister Boggins-”

“Its Baggins, Kíli”

“-What were you going with Smaug? You too were rather close there.” Bilbo didn’t know whether or not it was his imagination that the three boys at the table eyes seemed to sharpen in hostility. Bilbo was tempted to tell them to mind their own business, but he opted for the truth.

“Close against my will more like,” a snort escaped Bilbo. “I was just walking out of the store when he suddenly starts talking to me. He seemed keen on avoiding my wish to simply walk away.”

“He is a bit of a creep, don’t you think?” Fíli said with a goofy grin. Bilbo shot him a small smile in return.

“It would be unorthodox if I were to slander another teacher’s name,” Bilbo couldn’t deny that Smaug did give off a disturbing aura.

“Unorthodox or not, if he tries to harass you again in the future, just let us know. Well gather up some friends and make sure he doesn’t bother you anytime soon.” Fíli said, him and Kíli held matching mischievous expressions. Bilbo could imagine the lads vandalizing things from Smaugs car to his own classroom in the school. While it was entertaining to imagine such pranks, Bilbo knew it was his duty to put a stop to such future plans.

“Now see here, don’t go looking for trouble because of me. If Smaug were to do anything unsavory in the future regarding myself, I’ll handle it.” Bilbo perched his lips before continuing. “Thanks for the offer though. If the situation, no matter what it may be, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Bilbo had a feeling that he would regret those words.

He couldn’t take them back now though, not with Fíli and Kíli looking at him like that. They looked at ease with the looks they gave him. Even Thorins usually hard exterior softened a bit, it was barely noticeable.

“You should thank Thorin.” Bilbo saw Thorin head jolt up at the mention of his name. He gave Fíli a fierce glare.

“Oh?” Bilbo questioned.

“Yeah, he saw Smaug hanging all over you. We probably would’ve walked right by if he hadn’t pointed you out.” Kíli seemed to finish Fíli’s thought. It appeared that Thorin’s glare expanded and Bilbo would have to say it was smothering the younger boys. Bilbo cleared his throat, taking Thorin out of his glaring spell, and relieving Fíli and Kíli of a harsh stare.

“Thorin, is that true?” Bilbo asked, feeling something stir in his stomach. It wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t bother him either.

“..It is.” Thorin was looking at him, but his eyes kept straying away from his face when he looked at Bilbo for more than a few seconds. “Smaug is not someone to be trusted.”

Bilbo thought stored that information for later. He didn’t know Smaug, and while he didn’t know the man personally, Bilbo felt himself taking the advice to heart. Thorin may have been his student, but he knew a lot more of the inner workings of the school than Bilbo would ever hope to.

  
“I’ll be sure to remember that.” Thorin looked him in the eye for more than a few moments; Bilbo looked the other way when he felt the feeling in his stomach tighten a little. “Thank you for helping me, Thorin.” Bilbo looked back and smiled at the other. Thorin looked away when Bilbo turned to look at him.

“It was no problem.” Bilbo was glad that Thorin seemed more approachable now. It opened the window for conversation topics. He chatted with the three boys, occasionally Ori when he had some time to spare. It wasn’t twenty minutes later when Bilbo brought up why he came to the store to begin with, earning disapproving looks from the boys and a stern talking, from surprisingly Thorin, about the easiest of cuts can lead to an infection no matter how small the blade. Bilbo kept saying that he cleaned it well enough and it was just a simple mishap, he could see the doubt in their eyes.

Their chat went on longer than anticipated; He looked outside to see that the sun wasn’t setting, but it was in a new position then when Bilbo was outside earlier. He looked at his pocket watch to confirm his thoughts; they had been talking for a least three hours. When he told them, Fíli and Kíli just laughed.

“Whats wrong about that? I must say Mister Boggins, you’re rather interesting to talk to.” Kíli piped in.

Bilbo felt a bit flattered that they found him interesting. He knew that most would think of him odd as overall, but it felt nice to know that he was someone to talk to rather than someone to gossip about.

“While the thought is nice, don’t you think I’m a bit dull?” Bilbo laughed despite his thoughts. “Besides, it’s probably not a good thing to talk like this together so casually.”

“It’s not?” Both Fíli and Kíli asked at the same time, voices matching up perfectly. Bilbo let out a short laugh.

“Well, yes. Behavior like this is frowned upon.” Bilbo explained further when he was met with blank stares. “People would question my ability to stay professional, or make assumptions that I’d have an inappropriate relationship with one of my students, it could very well get me fired if such things were brought to light. I can’t have parents calling in and telling the school board that I have been harassing students outside of school.”

Understanding lit up in the trio’s eyes, nodding to themselves. Bilbo watched as they started to talk in another language; while studying their facial reactions, he assumes that Kíli made an unsavory remark which earns him a bark of laughter from Fíli and a slap upside the head from Thorin. When they settled whatever they were talking to, they looked back at Bilbo.

“Sorry about that,” Fíli apologized. “Such a shame then we won’t be able to hang out like this anymore than, huh?”

Bilbo nodded. He didn’t like the let down looks the boys held, but it was the truth.

“Afraid so…” Bilbo gave a smile, hopefully reassuring. “It’s been lovely talking with you bunch like this. Hopefully after graduating, we’ll get to have days like this.”

It seemed the right thing to say, as the two younger boys seemed to perk up a bit.

“That’s true! Heck, Thorin is graduating this year. You’ll be able to hang out with him along with some of your other home room students.” Fíli said, Bilbo ignored that Kíli wiggled his eyebrows at that.

“I haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to the lot of them,” Bilbo looked up in thought. “They do seem nice enough fellows.”

“They are! A little crazy, but it keeps the company more lively, wouldn’t you think?”

“I suppose so…” Bilbo doesn’t really know much about entertaining eccentric company. He could only imagine the chaos that would flow from it. “Ah speaking of company,” Bilbo looked straight at Thorin, “do you by chance know if you’re going to be returning my umbrella to me?”

If Bilbo hadn’t seen it, he probably wouldn’t have believed it when he saw Thorin flush and start to sputter as he proceeded to look at everything in the room besides Bilbo.

“I may have..broken it.” Bilbo raised a brow.

“You broke my umbrella?”

“I did..I am exceedingly sorry about not telling you sooner. I was hoping to replace it and give you a new one on Monday, and-” Thorin rambled for a few more minutes, Bilbo lost tract after the first few sentences before his lungs gave out and he laughed wholeheartedly.

“Y-You’re so sorry,” Bilbo swallowed, a full grin marking his face. “Thorin, it’s an umbrella. I’ll buy another one myself. Just let me know next time when I lend you something that you either return it or let me know I won’t be getting it back.”

For the next hour, Kíli and Fíli poked fun at Thorin, who in returned gave descriptive threats to the two of them. Bilbo just smiled as he watched over them, adding his own thoughts when it seemed relevant. Talking like this for only is for this day. Even when they graduated from high school, Bilbo doubts they’ll look at him twice in the future. He knew that while in high school, kids held onto their friends as long as they could before they started college and started working. Once they started their own lives, they’d forget about him. While it was saddening to think about, he knew it was true. Bilbo could accept that they’d have their own plans and part ways with the unnecessary things.

He just didn’t know how stubborn this bunch was going to be at the end of the school year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God. This was 4,112 words. My thumbs prolly hate me now, I wrote this all on my phone. Feel free to point out the parts that don't make sense, I'll fix it as soon as I can!
> 
> Oh and about Smaugs name, I don't really plan on using it, but it seems appropriate for him. Fritjof means 'Thief of Peace' so it makes enough sense. 
> 
> Ori is just headcannon to work at a book store. 
> 
> If there are any questions, I'll try to explain more in my next chapter, I promise!!
> 
> Thank you to those who keep supporting me C: I love you all.


	4. The Shepherd of doubts and actions.

When the second week of school started, Bilbo felt more prepared than ever. The first week was always the worst, wasn’t it? And with the worst behind him, he can actually relax more and perhaps even attempt to tame his paranoia along the way. He really did feel that this school year would go on without any trouble, and what if what Gandalf said about murders were true? Maybe whomever was behind such horrid acts decided to retire his serial murder career early and there would be no killings ever again. _‘Its possible_ ,’ Bilbo thought,’ _you just had to stay positive about these sorts of things_!’

While he thought his own optimistic thoughts, Bilbo did his best to ignore the small cluster of doubt that took up residence in his stomach.

Still, optimistic or not, he had a job to do. The first week was out of the way, now he has to complete 37 more weeks to go.  Bilbo could only hope they go smoothly and without any issues in the next few months.

Unfortunately , since Bilbo couldn’t exactly predict the future,  he’d just have to settle for waiting to see what happens.

Monday, at least, was easier to deal with this time around. There was no leftover hysteria left in his system, which made his morning drive to the school all the more pleasant. When he took a parking spot, he took his time walking to the school. He took in more details, noting that there was more articulate stone patterns on the outside walls and paths than greenery and floral. And while Bilbo would always prefer the green grass and the brightly colored petals of the flowers , he had to admit that the school's exterior was beautiful. The sun bounced off the stone, making the texture make itself more known to the human eye. The windows themselves stood out more against the stone.

Bilbo lost track of his thoughts about the building as he was about to run into the entrance door. He walked inside, waved to the people in the front office that were in view, and continued on his way to his class. He made sure to look both ways when the halls became an intersection. He knew it was rude to avoid people, but he really just rather not run into Mister Smaug by mistake. The man was uncomfortable to be around, and from the tell tale bruises that printed themselves on his arm were any hint, the man was dangerous to be around.

When he made it to his room, he started putting up the agenda for the day. When positive his handwriting looked readable, Bilbo sat at his desk, and began to multitask playing solitaire and checking his emails every so often. He was half way through a message to his young cousin Frodo, who informed Bilbo about his first week of middle school, when the bell rang. Bilbo quickly finished up the letter and sent is as students started pouring in.

The day went on without a hitch, there were no muck ups of any kinds. The only complaints that were given were groans from his classes when he started assigning homework, in which he told them to quiet down and to just accept their fate of receiving homework every now and then.

When his morning classes were finished, Bilbo quickly discovered how bored one would become if there was nothing to work on, or to plan for. Usually when he had this type of leisure time, he’d smoke his pipe. Alas, since this school had a ‘no smoking’ rule, Bilbo settled for the thought that he’d bring a book tomorrow to entertain himself.  In the meantime, Bilbo decided to play some more games on his laptop. Playing online chess helped pass the time, Bilbo did have to move every 20 minutes or so to keep the lights from going off from the lack of movement though.

He was actually glad when the bell rang for Homeroom. While he couldn’t connect to them on a personal level, he could observe them as much as he wanted to. They never seemed to talk about the same topic, always something new and interesting in their conversations.

It appeared that this time, the lot of them were so deeply immersed in their conversation, that Bilbo might as well be miles away from them. He was glad that they’re a rather close bunch, friendships have a certain way of filling voids, no matter how big or small. He knew from experience that all teenagers have their own problems, and while he may not their problems, he was glad they all have someone to turn to whenever such an occasion arrives.

Bilbo took in an eyeful of the company that takes up the seats in his class, they were something different. He recalls back when he was in high school, how everyone is Shiretown went to the same schools, and it while Bilbo could say it was warm and comfortable with familiarity, he knows that it was rather _bland_ as well.

Here, at least, it was always something.  There was never a dull moment, and while Bilbo did dread the thought of unfamiliar situations, he couldn’t deny he felt a bit more free.

With his own thoughts satisfied with their own conclusion, Bilbo started paying more attention to his students. He started with the youngest of the all, Ori.

Ori is rather quiet for his age. He seemed to have a difficult time of reaching out to others his own age, besides Fíli and Kíli. He was a good student, he took notes throughout class and didn’t cause any distractions for the other students. While Bilbo didn’t mean to look over Oris shoulder during class, he could see that Ori spent his free time either sketching away, playing with his giant knitted scarf, or reading a book as thick as a dictionary. He got along with the upperclassmen it seemed, though that could because of his own siblings, Dori and Nori, who probably introduced the older crowd to the boy at a young age. He wasn’t the tallest in the group, but he wasn’t the shortest either. If anything, there was a three way tie for the shortest. Bilbo thought he was a lean, not much muscle like the other boys in the class. Bilbo found himself wondering if Ori’s bowl haircut was either by chance he liked the bands from the 1960s, or if it simply ran in the family, seeing that both Dori and Nori have uncommon hairstyles as well. Before any more ideas of hairstyles took over Bilbos thoughts, he moved on to the next young student.

Though, when Bilbo thought about it, it's difficult to think of Fíli and Kíli as two different people.They might as well be joined at the hip. He didn’t have to check their surnames to figure out these two were related. They had similar facial structure, and that the two always seemed to have the same look on the others face didn’t fight the fact that the two were blood related. The two boys were in sync with one another to the point that Bilbo couldn’t help but see similarities between the boys and the Tweedle brothers from Alice in Wonderland. Fíli seemed the oldest of the two, while he was just as mischievous as Kíli, he made sure that the two of them didn’t cross the line that would lead to trouble. Kíli looked to be the wild child that he was, he was cockier than most sophomores would be, but he had a childlike quality that most would deny to find endearing. The boys had matching ponytails that bounced and swished when they made rapid movements from being overexcited about something; and their contagious laughter often disrupted the class, even when they didn’t know what they were laughing about. They were a pair, and while teachers advised Bilbo to separate the boys to make the lesson more durable, Bilbo couldn’t convince himself to move the boys. They’re loud and sometimes overbearing, there’s no denying that, but they’re good kids.

He moved his eyes onto the Dwalin. If Bilbo had to be honest, he thought Dwalin looked a bit more than just intimidating. He knew that the other was just a few inches taller than him, but when Bilbo saw him stand up, he felt a lot smaller than he actually was.  His shaved head with some rather distinguishing tattoos didn’t soften Dwalins image one bit. And it was honestly hard to believe that a _sophomore_ could have that much muscle. It turned out he was right though, Dwalin was no sophomore. He was junior with a class full of sophomores, apparently due to the history class the year was full. Dwalin seemed rather close to Thorin, likely a best friend; and it wasn’t surprising due to their similar gruff attitude. Though it didn’t seem to bother Dwalin to not be with the older crowd; in fact, Bilbo could swear he saw Dwalin giving a mixture of frustration and affection to Ori, who appeared to be oblivious to any stares sent his way.

Before Bilbo moved on to the next student, the bell rang. He said goodbye to them, some were returned as others were not. It didn’t bother him, he would be the first one out if he was still a student. Bilbo just sighs to himself, and checks his email one last time before packing up and making his way to his car.

Bilbo was glad to be home; when he sat down in his chair with a book in his lap, he knew that when he started reading he’d be absorbed to the point that he wouldn’t realize how late he would actually be going to bed.  In the end, it was no surprise that he cursed at himself when he looked up to the clock to see it was one a.m in the morning.

It was strange when he drifted off. He usually dreamt of small fears like falling or being naked in front of his peers, or nothing at all. He couldn’t say it was a good dream or not, but it was full of laughter and gentle expressions.

* * *

Bilbo liked his even day students, they never really spoke out of term or made it their mission to make the class more wild. It was pleasant, taking it easy. He always felt more tired out on his odd teaching days, though he really shouldn’t be complaining so early in the school year. That would be unprofessional to start ranting so early in his teaching career. He had to build up a respectable reputation after all.

But Bilbo couldn’t deny that there was just something about his Homeroom class that made him feel curious. He really should blame Gandalf for even getting the idea, of something suspicious going around the school, into his head! He could hear his father's voice nagging in the back of his head ‘Don’t get into things you don’t understand!’ It was both annoying and missed, Bilbo really did miss his parents. He’d have to give them a call soon. He knows that his father will only try to talk him into coming back home, but he has a feeling that his mother would find a quick way of ending that unrelenting conversation topic. Bilbo had a feeling that she would be amused by his students and their small antics.

The classes went by slow, even lunch and his prep period when by slow (thankfully he had a book this time!) Bilbo looked forward to his homeroom class, even though he saw each of them everyday; well, save for Thorin because of Wednesdays. They were an odd bunch, but he liked to think that’s what made them all the more original.

Which made it harder to resist examining his Homeroom class once again. He started to look over the juniors first.

Nori was the middle child of Dori and Ori, and it might explain his shady persona that Nori wore when he wasn’t around his brothers or his friends. Bilbo briefly recalled an essay that contributed to the idea that the middle child was more likely to act out than the oldest and youngest, usually due to wanting to stand out more. While Bilbo couldn’t say for sure, it was a possibility. Bilbo had heard some rumors about Nori from some students in his other class, some saying he was a kleptomaniac, others saying something along the lines of a conman. While most of them were quick to believe the rumors, Bilbo had to give Nori the benefit of the doubt.

Bifur was surprisingly not that hard to communicate with as Bilbo had originally thought, despite the harsh slurs and blunt accent when he spoke. He could usually get his point across with hand gestures and expressions. From what he learned from the guidance counselor, Bifer had received a head injury some years ago and it had affected his speech pattern a bit. Bilbo could say he wasn’t one to cause trouble, but when a fight looked to break out between some of the more aggressive students, one look from Bifur with an unrecognizable word put a quick end to it. While he might come off as the occasional peace maker, Bilbo was sure that Bifur could very well fight a gruesome fight if the occasion called for it.

Now, Bilbo did have to look twice at surnames to learn that Bofur and Bombur were related. While the two shared the same humor and the same kind eyes, their physical appearances couldn’t be anymore different. Bofur had dark hair that went down into two braids, covering his head with a beat up old hat with long ears that bent down at the tips.  Bombur had bright red hair that frizzed horribly and was, well there was no way to put it delicately, rather _large_. Bilbo was glad the boy didn’t get stuck in the chair when in class. Bilbo felt that he could relate to Bombur though, seeing the boy could eat as much as Bilbo could; along with that in Ancient  & Cultural History, Bombur got ignored by some students, though he didn’t seem bothered by it, since he was usually surrounded by Bofur, Bifur, and Nori a majority of the time.

When Bilbo looked over the seniors, he could see the resemblance in their looks and personalities to their siblings, except Thorin. It made Bilbo momentary frown, it appeared that most of the families had around two to three children at most. Perhaps he has older siblings? He really didn’t seem to come off as the youngest sibling though.

Dori was the older sibling of Ori and Nori, Bilbo could see him pestering over Ori about grades and Nori about staying out of trouble and such. Protective older sibling overall. He dressed a bit more formal than his brothers, and had his own pair of strange looking braids. He was a hard worker, Bilbo felt he could confirm that.

Glóin and Óin were brothers, roughly a few months apart. Both had untamable locks and were vocal on their opinions in class, although Óin seemed to know when to keep his mouth shut more often than Glóin did. From what is heard from other students, both of the boys have girlfriends. Though its apparent that when asked about such relations, Glóin is the first to jump in and start gloating about his ‘Angel on earth, no other could ever compare to the beauty of her! Even if she had a beard, she’d be the loveliest of flowers to grace the earth.’  Óin didn’t really brag too much about his girlfriend, but Bilbo could hear the subtle joy in his voice when someone asked. Óin and Glóin were studious workers, though Ó went off topic and jumped into his Human Anatomy work from another class more often than not.

There was Balin, who carried around a violin case with him every day. He was related to Dwalin, which was a bit surprising due to their conflicting personalities.While Dwalin was intimidating, Balin had a wise look in his eye that spoke more of an older man. When Bilbo went over Balins work in class, the handwriting was beautifully put, that only added more charm to his thoughtout responses to the questions that were being asked.

Then there was Thorin Oakenshield. Bilbo let his eyes sweep over to the other side of the room, Thorin was in his own conversation with Dwalin and Balin. Bilbo couldn’t really breakdown Thorin as an individual like the rest. He didn’t see him interacting with anyone else besides who were in the room, and even then, there is little that Thorin would actually do.

Thorin wa-

It was clear that Bilbo wasn’t the only one who was shocked at how the fast the bell rang came. He could swear he saw Ori jump right out of his seat. There were farewells and Bilbo muttered some in return, but he stayed in his seat. He leaned back a bit before he continued his own train of thought.

Thorin was…He seemed like a proud boy. He held himself tall and didn’t tolerate disrespect from his classmates. His hair was always brushed away from his face, as like Fíli’s and Kíli’s, his hair was tied back. It was hard to ignore his stare, as Bilbo had been a victim of it before, it pierced the soul and judged for what all there was to see.It was haunting really, when Thorin drifted into his own world, and when his face seemed so much older in the matter of seconds. Bilbo couldn’t say if he was a hard worker, or not, or that he was friendly (though based on his attitude, Bilbo doubted Thorin embraced new company.) In short, if it was anything at all, Thorin was an enigma. And the thought of it some mystery that could lead to something dangerous made Bilbo want to run away as fast as he could from the boy.

And Bilbo decided in his big, quiet classroom, that maybe distancing himself from the boys would be for the best.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Bilbo limited himself from taking too much interest in his odd class and Homeroom class. He tried to focus more on his even classes, and that these kids seemed so much easier. Why hadn’t he favored these days than the others? They were polite and well rounded, though Bilbo could do without their need to gossip about everything and everyone.

So if Kíli tried to talk to him on a personal level, Bilbo would avoid the question and ignore the pout and slightly hurt face that graced the boys face. When Bombur pulled a block of cheese, Bilbo would ask if he would put it away, and didn’t look at the put out look of disappoint he got in return. Or when Balin thought out a philosophical opinion, he’d just write down ‘Good job’ in response instead of his usual impressed responses on how Balin would think like that.

And it was hard. But it was for the best, Bilbo could only agree that it would be best for all if he just stayed out of their business. He wasn’t there to be their companion, he wasn’t suppose to let things slide like he did before. He was there to teach, and that was it. He didn’t come to Erebor to get involved with the small knit community, he came because-

Bilbo frowned deeply. He couldn’t even remember the bloody reason he came here in the first place? He had packed his bags one day and had just decided to come here, did he?

He could sure blame his mother's blood in his veins for that decision, so reckless! What on earth had he been thinking?

He mulled over those thoughts for days, even into the weekend, and onto the next Monday. Everything was becoming a blur to him, his classes blended in together, and he couldn’t notice the looks that were being given to him. Like he was an oddity of some sort.

It was after school on a Tuesday before he even knew it. He dragged his feet on the way to his car, and went home. Traffic was heavy, and it wasn’t until late at night that he actually got home.

He went to unlock his door, only to realize he was missing something.  He padded his pockets just to be sure, and when positive that there was nothing in there, he groaned loudly in frustration. He had forgotten his house keys! Of all things, it just had to be his keys. He could have had a spare, but no. He was fearful someone would find it and break into his house. Bilbo was glad that he at least had his car keys, and began his way back to the school.

He began to worry that he wouldn’t be able to get back into the school, the school was likely to be deserted. Alas, when he stepped out of his car, he could see something glimmering in the moonlight. He scooped up his dirt covered keys, his key chain broken most likely because of being run over. They must have just fallen out of his pocket and he didn’t hear a thing. Bilbo stuffed his keys in his pocket as he walked out to the car.

“At least there’s no traffic now..”He muttered to himself. He glanced down at his gauges to see that he was almost out of fuel. Bilbo pulled into a near empty gestation, and began to pump the gas into his car.

He looked over to the lane next to him, only to see a familiar face.

A rather dreadful face at that. Bilbo could see it was one of the three boys he saw the other day in the hallway, or rather the one that _wiped snot all over the lockers._

Bilbo felt chills from the memory.

“I’mma be right back, so just wait here.” He could hear their conversation. Lovely,

“Ho’d on a minute. I want some snacks, I’ll come on in with ‘ya”   
  
“Oh fine, just don’t leave the engine.”

“Will do.”

Bilbo was glad to see the three boys walk away. He looked over to their own vehicle, it was a hiked up white pickup with a cap over the bed of the truck. He wouldn’t have given it a second glance if something didn’t catch his eye. It was hanging off the back end, a knitted gray scarf looked like it was hanging on for dear life and was covered in the debris that it came across just by being in that spot. 

It was unusual, and it gave Bilbo a sinking feeling. As someone who dabbled in the homemade crafts every now and then, he knew enough to recognize someones work.

He could honestly believe that was Ori’s scarf hanging there.

What he didn’t want to believe that Ori would be in some sort of trouble with such unsettling looking people. Bilbo could at least try to convince himself that by the strangest of chance, Ori’s scarf flew off and got stuck on the rig that stood across him.

And he would have achieved that dear dream, if he hadn’t heard anything thump. Bilbo would have thought it up to his overactive imagination, though reality came into place. He heard it again, and saw the truck rock slightly, as if someone was in there.

Someone like Ori could be in there.

Bilbo, regretfully, started to recall the conversation the odd boys had in the hallway. Something about two weeks from then. Which is now. What had they planned exactly?

Bilbo didn’t know if he really wanted to know. He just stood there, unsure to take action or not. His own car was full, so when he saw the three boys coming back, he took out the pump and put it back in its place.

When he turned back around, they were looking over at him. Bilbo wanted to get into his own car and drive off to his safe home, to be away from this mess. They finally looked away from him when the truck moved once more. He lifted his brow at them in a curious manner.

“Dogs in the back sure are throwin’ a fit.” Bilbo could only nod in response. He didn’t believe it for a moment, if it was a dog. There would be more barking than actual ganging against the truck.

They fitted themselves into the truck, not leaving until they gave him one last gritty smile before driving off.

A million thoughts felt like they collided with Bilbo’s mind. He thought about a lot of ‘what if’s and ‘maybe that’ possibilities and the alternative realities.

While his blood felt cold and his heart speed up, he bit his lip to the point of drawing blood before hopping into his own car; following a truck that may or may not hold anything that would come across as illegal in the back of that unsavory truck.

Bilbo really hopes he’d not making the wrong choice and risking his sanity for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that this was suppose to be out WAYY sooner. My computer just loves to turn against me though...
> 
> Anywho~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I admit I got a little confused when writing it myself C; . Any mistakes will soon be corrected (so point them out if I don't see please!)
> 
> Thank you for those are who sticking this out with me and well only help me keep going on ;u; you're all inspiring to the point of tears! 
> 
> (I promise to have more dialogue in the next chapteeer)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you were surprised at the age difference! (at least pretend to me..?)
> 
> I think there needs to be older!Bilbo in this fandom more. 
> 
> I hope to never disappoint my supporters!


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